Paramount Farms

Agriculture Solar Electric Installation Project Profile

SolarCraft both designed and built this 1.1 Megawatt solar energy system for Paramount Farms, Inc., the world’s largest vertically integrated supplier of pistachios and almonds, at their Lost Hills, CA orchards and processing facility.

The system utilizes groundmounted, UniSolar® Amorphous Thin Film Photovoltaic (PV) panels. Spanning 8 acres, it is one of the largest single-site, privately-owned solar energy systems in the U.S.

The new solar energy system enables Paramount Farms to generate enough clean electricity each day to power 502 average homes. The new system will spare the air nearly 885 tons of harmful greenhouse gases annually, comparable to planting over 177 acres of trees. Over the next 30 years, the air pollution saved will be equivalent to driving over 61.1 million miles.

Paramount’s goal is to utilize green energy and create predicable energy and costs. Stewardship of the environment has always been a core value of Paramount Farms. Groundbreaking research and development has led the way to pioneering advances in agriculture and orchard management, including the reduction of pesticide use by nearly 50% and water conservation.

Customer Profile Paramount Farms, a company with a long established history building successful produce brands including Sunkist® California Pistachios, a top seller; and Sunkist® Almond Accents,® the leading flavored, sliced almond topping. Their 28,000 acres of pistachio orchards are the largest in the Western Hemisphere. And in a state famous for its almonds, they are proud to be California’s largest almond grower, with more than 24,000 acres of permanent almond orchards. That’s more than four million trees producing in excess of 30 billion nuts annually.

“Paramount Farms, a leader in the farming community, is committed to a balanced green strategy, one that utilizes clean energy to reduce costs and improve efficiency. We’re pleased to break ground on the first phase of a long-term, comprehensive, solar-power initiative.” ~ Dave Szeflin, Vice President, Operations